Carbonating device



'June 18, 1946- J. H. GOLDBERG `CRBONTING' DEVICE Filed Feb. 2l, 1945.-mlm lllllllfl lllll -llllllh I4 )fr Patented June 18, 1946 UNITEDSTATES PATENT GFFICE CARBONATING DEVICE Application February 21, 1945,Serial No. 579,097

2 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for incorporating gases into liquidsto produce gas-saturated liquids without the aid of mechanicalagitation.

Specifically, this invention relates to a carbonating device forautomatically Iproducing carbonated beverages containing highpercentages of carbon dioxide.

While the invention will hereinafter be described in a specic embodimentof a carbonating apparatus for automatic beverage-vending machines, itshould be understood that the principles of this invention are generallyapplicable to the charging of liquids with gases to produce highgas-content liquids without the aid of mechanical agitation.

Heretofore, eilicient carbonation of water required the use ofmechanically-driven agitating devices to bring about a thorough admixingof the carbon dioxide with the water. Attempts to spray carbon dioxideinto a pond of water did not meet with success because the water wouldnot retain appreciable amounts f the gas and a low charge productresulted.

In accordance with this invention, however, efcient high charging ofwater with carbon dioxide gas is obtained by spraying the gas into apond of water in such a manner that the jets or streams of gas coact toproduce an agitating effect for thoroughly admixing the gas with thewater and for holding the gas in contact with the water for prolongedtime intervals.

A feature of the invention resides in the provision of a spray headwhich ejects jets or streams of gas against the bottom wall of a watercontainer to be deflected by the bottom wall in an upward directionaround the spray head and then meet with additional streams or jets ofgas inclined at an angle for cutting the rising streams and causing themto swirl for agitating the liquid.

An important object of this invention is to provide a carbonating devicewhich will efficiently charge liquids with gases without requiring theuse of mechanically-driven agitating devices.

Another object of the invention is to provide a carbonator whichutilizes pressured gases to agitate the liquids being charged whileremaining in prolonged contact with the liquids Another object of theinvention is to provide a carbonator including a tank with a fragmentalspherical bottom and a spray head mounted in closely spaced relationabove the central portion of said bottom and lhaving a first set of jetholes arranged to impinge streams of carbon dioxide against said bottomtogether with a second set of jet vholes arranged to form umbrella-likestreams which cut the impinged streams and cause them to agitate waterin the container while maintaining the carbon dioxide in prolongedcontact with the agitated water.

A specific object of this invention is to provide a carbonator forbeverage-vending machines wherein water is automatically introduced intoa tank Whenever the water level therein drops below a predeterminedlevel and wherein carbon dioxide is automatically sprayed into thebottom of the pond of liquid in the tank whenever the pressure in thetank drops below a predetermined pressure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spray head especiallyadapted for carbonators wherein a rst set of jet holes is provided forimpinging gases in a downward direction while a second set of jet holesis provided at an angle of 50 to 60 from the horizontal to eject streamsof gas around the streams ejected by the nrst men tioned holes forholding the gas in prolonged contact with the water.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spray head forcarbonators and the like wherein a downwardly inclined umbrella ofejected material surrounds a plurality of vertically downwardly ejectedstreams to hold these jet streams in prolonged contact with liquid beingcarbonated or gasified while cooperating therewith to agitate theliquid.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from the following detailed descriptions of theannexed sheet of drawings which, by way of preferred example only,illustrates one embodiment of the invention.

On the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view, with parts in sideelevation, of a carbonator device in accordance with this invention. f

Figure 2 is a somewhat enlarged bottom plan view of the spray headaccording to this invention shown in the carbonator of Figure 1.

As shown on the drawing:

In Figure l, the reference numeral Ill design nates generally acarbonating device for an automatic beverage vending machine. The deviceI0 includes a cylindrical sheet metal tank II with a fragmentalspherical bottom IIa and an outturned horizontal top flange IIb. A metalcover plate I2 closes the open top of the tank Il and overlies theflange IIb. A mounting ring i3 surrounds the tank I I and is bottomed onthe flange I Ib. Mounting bolts I4 pass through the mounting ring I3 andperipheral margin portion of the cover I2 and coact with nuts Ida forsecuring the cover to the tank. The `tank and cover are held in sealedrelation by a gasket G interposed between the flange IIb and theperipheral margin of the cover I2.

The cover has a plurality of internally threaded boss portions such as52a and nipples I5, I6 and Il are threaded into these boss portionslI2a..

The nipple I5 has a valve seat I5a therein coacting with a valve I8 thatis urged against the seat by means of a coil spring I9. The nipple I5discharges into a tube 20 which depends vertically into the tank iIadjacent a side wall of the tank and has an inclined leg portion Zaextending to the central portion of the fragmental spherical bottom IIa. The end of the leg 20a has a vertical depending portion 23h which isexternally threaded and receives, in threaded relation thereon, thespray head 2I of this invention.

As shown, the spray head has a neck portion 2Ia in threaded relationwith the portion 20h of the tube and this neck portion 2Ia merges withan inclined top wall 2Ib that diverges outwardly and downwardly to athickened rim ZIc. A cylindrical wall 2Id depends from the rim 2 Icinwardly from the outer edge of the rim and a flat bottom wall 2 Ie isprovided on the lower end of the cylindrical wall 2Id.

A plurality of holes 22 are drilled through the junction between thecylindrical wall 2 I d and the rim 2Ic. These holes are inclined at anangle of about 52 from the horizontal and are spaced around theperiphery of the cylindrical wall 2Id at intervals of about 20 as shownin Figure 2. The bottom wall 2Ie has a plurality of holes 23 extendingvertically therethrough. These holes are arranged in rows, as best shownin Figure 2, which radiate at 30 intervals beyond a central circle Chaving a center point at the radial center of the wall. As shown, rowsof four holes alternate with rows of three holes.

The holes 22 are somewhat larger than the holes 23. For example,eighteen holes 22 can be Drovided with a #60 drill While forty-two holes23 can be provided with a #65 drill.

Carbon dioxide gas is fed through the nipple I5 under pressuresuiiicient to unseat the valve I8 Vand eject the gas from the spray head2I through the holes 22 and 23 into a pond P of water contained in thetank II. The water for the pond P' is introduced into the tank IIthrough the nipple I6. The incoming water impinges on a baiile 213carried by the cover I2 and drains `quietly oi of this plate to form thepond.

A long electrode 25 and a short electrode 26 depend into the tank I Ifrom a plug (not shown) mounted in a housing 2l on the cover I2. Whenthe pond P drops below the bottom of the long electrode 25, a valve (notshown) in the feed line (not shown) to the nipple I6 is automaticallyopened so that water is supplied to the nipple and introduced into thetank to replenish the pond. Whenever the level of the pond rises abovethe level of the short electrode 25, this feed line valve is closed andthe water feed is stopped.

The nipple I'I has a tube 28 depending therefrom into closelyspacedrelation with the bottom IIa of the tank. Carbonated water is ejectedthrough the tube 28 and the nipple I'I.

Whenever pressure in the tank Il falls below a predetermined amount, theback pressure on the valve I8 is insuflicient to hold the valve closedand the pressure of carbon dioxide fed to the nipple I5 will besufficient to overcome the pressure of the spring I9 and unseat thevalve. Carbon dioxide is thus introduced through the tube 20 into thespray head 2| where it is ejected through the holes 23 in the form ofminute streams ZS surrounding the circle C. These streams 29 impinge onthe rounded bottom IIa of the tank. The impinged streams are deflectedby the rounded bottom Ilal and rise in the pond P. As these streamsrise, however, inclined streams 30 from the larger holes 22 cut the.streams 29 into segments and cause an agitation of liquid in the pond,producing whirlpools 3| which serve to thoroughly admix the gas with theliquid.

As shown in Figure 1, the streams 3l) form an umbrella surrounding thestreams 29 and serve to hold the streams 28 in the bottom of the tankfor a longer period of time thereby increasing the contact time betweenthe gas and the water and insuring high carbonation As shown, a highconcentration of gas bubbles is held in the liquid under theumbrella-like streams 30.

The relationship between the holes 22 and 23 is such that iineneedle-like streams 29 are ejected with great velocity in a straightdownwardly direction to impinge on a rounded wall which deilects thestreams to rise upwardly into the coarser inclined streams 30. The twostreams thus interfere with each other, and create the whirlpools 3l inthe liquid.

From the above descriptions it will be understood that the carbonator ofthis invention produces agitation of liquids being carbonated withoutthe aid of mechanically-driven agitators and, in producing thisagitation, simultaneously causes the gas to remain in intimate contactwith the liquid for increased lengths of time. The carbonators of thisinvention are free from mechanically-driven parts, and operateautomatically to deliver a highly carbonated liquid from a pond which isautomatically replenished whenever' it drops below a predeterminedlevel, and automatically charged whenever the gas pressure thereon dropsbelow a predetermined pressure.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of constructionmay be varied through a wide range without departing from the principlesof this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit thepatent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of theappended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A gas and liquid mixing device comprising a liquids container havinga rounded bottom. in the form of a spherical surface, a spray headcentrally located in said container having a first set of downwardlyopening bottom orices and a second set of downwardly inclined orincestherearound above the bottom orifices, said rst and second vsets 4oforices being below the center of curvature of said spherical surface,and means for supplying gas to said spray head under .suicient pressureto form downward jets from the rst set of orifices which impinge uponsaid bottom wall and are deilected by the spherical surface thereof torise around the spray head together with downwardly inclined lateraljets from the second set of orifices which break up rising deflected gasjets and impede the rate of rise of said deected gas t0 hold the gas inprolonged contact with liquid in the container.

2. A carbonator comprising a tank having a rounded bottom in the form ofa spherical surface, a spray head centrally located in said tank havinga Iirst set of downwardly opening Vbottom orifices and a second set ofdownwardly inclined orices therearound above the bottom orices,

` and are deflected by the spherical surface thereof to rise around thespray head together with downwardly inclined lateral streams from thesecond set of orifices which break up the rising deflected gas streamsand impede the rate of rise of said deflected gas streams to hold thegas in prolonged contact with the Water in the tank.

JOSEPH H. GOLDBERG.

